There can be no doubt that
Yampolsky’s twenty-volume series of Indonesian music will stand as a landmark in
recordings of the world’s music for many years to come. Yampolsky has set a high
standard, both for those who would produce a single recording and for prospective
producers of series. It is ironic that, thanks to the recordings of the Smithsonian
series, the areas of Indonesia whose music is best known to the world at large are now
poor cousins compared to the areas that Yampolsky has documented. One could certainly wish
for recordings of Javanese and Balinese music with equally meticulous commentary and
tastefully balanced variety.

These three volumes from the
middle of the series are as good a place as any to jump into this series. They offer
fascinating lessons in the cultural diversity of Indonesia and speak as well to myriad
cultural connections that join distant parts of Indonesia and other areas of Southeast
Asia.

Similar instruments, musical
practices, and song texts bear witness to past musical travels between Indonesia, Malaysia
and the Philippines. We can also learn much from them about influences from further
afield: instruments, musical styles, and subject matter from Europe and the Middle East
are evident in each of the three recordings. The European violin and accordion are firmly
ensconced alongside the Middle Eastern lutes and frame drums and instruments of indigenous
origin. Religious subject matter, both Muslim and Christian, figures prominently in many
of the tracks.

In the final analysis, the
significance of these disks depends on the quality of the performances and the recordings.
If they were not so pleasing and intriguing they would have little impact.